The Local Craft Food and Drink

This place located at 150 Giralda, what's all the buzz about?

The Local is a landmark cocktail bar that serves up some really noteworthy southern fare as well as some very interesting drinks.

By Andrei Endelman - Food Editor - andrei@fashionandwinemag.com

Their bar program is spear-headed by Will Thompson a seasoned bartender, and the kitchen is under the watchful eye of Chef Phil Bryant, who opened Swine Southern Table and is a driving force in the resurgence of southern cuisine in Miami. We were pleasantly surprised by the welcoming atmosphere of their small yet cozy location nestled on Giralda in the Gables.

Photos by Heysel Laguna and Deena Danielle from Motif Photography

On the Photo:Where's Winter, a perfect mix of carrot and lime juice, dash of pineapple syrup and dark rum.

We decided to pay them a visit one chilly Wednesday afternoon, and were greeted with several delicious libations crafted by the skilled hands of bartender Will Thompson. The Spider Monkey Boulevard was a smoky and rich drink composed of Monkey Shoulder scotch, Vanilla Liqueur, and Capalletti Aperitivo. A great drink for whiskey lovers and drinkers alike, if whiskey isn’t your thing the Where’s Winter will definitely slake your thirst and leave you in the snow, a perfect mix of carrot and lime juice, dash of pineapple syrup and dark rum. We also had the Foreign Intelligence a refreshing cocktail with a bite made of Genepy De Alps, gin, and fresh lime juice.

After a few drinks, delicious bar snacks began to arrive. We began our meal with homemade beef jerky that was tender enough to pull apart with your hands, the texture was enjoyable and not as chewy as one might think, what really won me over was the barbecue salt that was rubbed onto the jerky, it really cut through the sweetness of the meat. This is definitely something you want to pair with a dark beer which The Local has plenty of. Next we were presented with blue crab hushpuppies, an amazing steak tartare with whipped deviled egg filling, and hen and dumpling soup. The soup was so rich and delicious that I would go back to the local weekly just for this dish. The Chef Boils Parmesan rinds to make the base and then mixes in a heavy cream with roasted Vidalia onions, he lets it simmer away and then tosses in a few perfectly made buttermilk dumplings and shredded hen. A definite must try dish and a steal for less than 10 dollars.

Our main courses were the fried chicken and local burger; I must say that the Chef has taken these basic dishes to very high gastronomic standards. I would go so far as to say that the local has the best burger in coral gables, at a low price of 16 dollars, Chef Phil has founded a perfect harmony of ground meat and cheese oozing off a soft bun with the best quality hand crafted ingredients. Even the pickles are made in house.

We finished the meal with spiced chocolate cookies and horchata milk, the cookies were soft and sweet at first but slowly the heat of the spices kicked in, a very fun dish to eat and a great note on the palette after such a rich southern meal.

In a city where gastropubs are opening and closing all over the place, The Local holds it down as a solid place to get amazing food at any time of the day and as a landmark spot for industry people to come get a few cocktails after work. They have a late night menu Thursday through Saturday till 1:30 am, and have the best in the biz specials every night after 11pm. If you haven’t been to the local yet you are really missing out on something special.